Above are details from some lovely rooms featured in Danish magazine RUM June 2010 issue. To the left, pillows made out of ponchos from Peru and rugs from Iran and Yemen create an inviting and homely ethnic/folk traditional look. To the right, a startlingly interesting space (a circus wagon in fact) is made even more interesting by the pretty and colourful folk art textiles. I’m warming up to this style, which is all about handcrafted textiles and furniture, patterns and multi- colours.

Some shopping inspiration below:

[Top left: Suzani bedspread from Yurdan, approx. 200-700 USD; Top right: Chair from Niki Jones 250 GBP; Bottom left: Plant pots from Graham & Green 39.50 GBP; Bottom right: Cushions from Niki Jones 38-60 GBP]

Worse still, we put ourselves on high horses with our “knowledge”. You can see it in the evening newspapers. They have started to let people send in pictures of their homes and comment on others’ home pictures. Result? Many disparaging remarks. Mean notes and remarks on almost everything from fellow readers who know exactly how the decor should be. Swedes are anxious, believe me, and our resistance to supreme trends is weak.

In view of this, let’s strike a blow for a narrow – almost no trend at all- trend: again; the Swedish folk style. Something old, reliable and genuine. No fuzz. One can not write about Swedish folk decor without mentioning Carl Larsson (1853-1919).

photo: Carl Larsson Garden

The home – the interior ideal – created by artist couple Carl and Karin Larsson in Sundborn more than 100 years ago, has been given standing as the archetype of Swedishness. Sweden’s first interior design book A home by Carl Larsson, with 24 paintings from Little Hyttnäs in Sundborn, came out in 1889. In this book Carl Larsson describes how a nice home can be created with simple means. He writes:

Therefore, o, Swede, save yourself in time, again become simple and dignified, be rather clumsy than elegant, dress up in leather, fur and wool, make yourself furniture that fit your heavy body, and way in strong colours in everything, yes, the so-called gaudy, which are necessary as contrasts to the deep green pine forests and the cold white snow, and let your hand freely cut or paint the meandering he is willing and able to on your furniture. Then you will become happy in the feeling of being yourself, it will go well, and you shall live long upon the earth. Amen.

The painting “Skamvrån” (‘The Shame Corner’) by Carl Larsson

The Swedish folk style is well-looked-after and continuously brought up to date by Gudrun Sjödén. Above and below are images from her latest home collection. IMHO, the collections get better each year, none of her past has been this nice. The choice of interiors for the photos – an old cottage far north in the country (Burträsk above), an industrial building in a Stockholm suburb (below) and a wooden house in the archipelago (Resarö) are all perfect, pure atmosphere-enhancers.

Textiles are crucial in this decor: curtains, rugs, hangings, table cloths and runners, chair cushions, throws, pillows…and characteristic wallpapers>s. The style is easy to apply – even in small doses – to get an ethnic/folklore touch.

Some say the traditional Swedish folklore style is dead. I say NO NO NO….It may not be the hottest trend in the broad masses of people, but it surely is in good health. A great example is this 50x70cm print below by the talented young illustrator Henning Trollbäck. He “lost himself in the old myths of the dalahorse”:

There are plenty of contemporary folklore fabrics. Among my fav’s is this metered fabric by Eva Jobs for Jobs Handtryck:

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]]> http://www.trendey.com/swedish-folklore-style-still-going-strong/feed 2 http://www.trendey.com/burtrask_and_buddhistbuthan http://www.trendey.com/burtrask_and_buddhistbuthan#comments Thu, 01 Oct 2009 23:33:46 +0000 Mia http://www.trendey.com/?p=981

The Gudrun Sjödén Winter 2009 catalogue arrived to me today. It reminded me to check back on the lovely AW 2009 home collection. One of the themes (my favourite) is Burträsk, a tiny town in the far north of Sweden. Gudrun Sjödén was inspired by pictures in the book “Måla som förr” (“Paint like in the Old Days”) taken in a cottage in Burträsk. And so she went there, to a cottage with a colourful decor – a yellow ochre background and shades of Paris blue. Inspiring, I think!

Now to the Winter 2009 clothes collection “Bhutan/Stockholm”. Some may think Burträsk is far away, but this time Gudrun Sjödén has travelled to the Kingdom of Bhutan high up in the Himalayas. Here she found a fine tune: a blend of simple Scandinavia with the colourful Buddhist Bhutan. Message is: there is a link between folklore all over the world. Gudrun Sjödén created her first unique collection in 1974. Having grown up with Gudrun Sjödén-style as a concept as familiar as the stackable orange chairs in the school canteen, I think I haven’t seen the forest for all the trees. The clothes are mainly very colourful and bold, chunky and shapeless. It is, and has always been, homespun, coarse and comfortable. The concept is strong, almost overwhelming. However, looking behind the more than 30 years old stereotype, I can easily recognize there are some treasures! Here’s a few favourites from the Winter 2009 collection:

A spooted top in lyocell, £43, and a tiered cotton skirt, £53. I would match them a bit different though… The “Mountain avens” long knee-socks look soo cozy! It’s jacquard-knit socks that feature a pretty folklore pattern with a twisted braid and tassels. This is where Gudrun Sjödén meets Odd Molly and we find Swedish blended folklore style at its best.

You might have seen the Dalecarlian Horse or Dala Horse, a famous symbol of Sweden and Swedish handicraft. It’s a traditional wooden statuette of a horse, originating in the Swedish province of Dalarna. They say the long winter evenings, wood scraps from the local furniture-making trade and paint-pigment from nearby copper mines bred the development of the Dala Horse. It is today one of few living folk traditions: skills for creating the horse have been, and still is, passed from generation to generation.

Now, did you know that there are several different designs available of the wooden horse? Here’s the finest piece, called “Ludvikahästen”. It has Little Western Flowers painted on it. Or Heartsease (Viola tricolor).